This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
You think the Leafs would prefer Sunday's game not to be at home. In theory, you strive all season for home-ice advantage in a Game 7. But given the existential cloud that hangs over hockey in Toronto, it might be too tense. Well, it is what it is. The matchup starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT. You have $50,000 in salary for six players, including your Captain who gets an elevated salary while also netting you 1.5 times the points. Here's the Sunday lineup I landed on.
CAPTAIN
Sam Reinhart, FLA at TOR ($12,900): There's the pressure on the Leafs. There's also the fact the Panthers have been in the last two Stanley Cup Finals. And Joseph Woll had posted a .909 save percentage this season with a 4.02 GAA in the playoffs before his Game 6 shutout. Reinhart compiled his fourth consecutive 30-goal campaign with 10 points so far during the postseason. And that's with a 7.5 shooting percentage, which is unusually low for him.
FLEX
Mitch Marner, TOR vs. FLA ($8,400): Some degree of balance is important when I'm setting single-game playoff rosters, so I wanted a couple of decent Leafs. Like Marner, who's coming off his first 100-point year with 13 from 12 postseason outings. He hasn't been getting many pucks on net as of late, though he's as much a playmaker as a scorer having claimed at least 60 assists four times.
John Tavares, TOR vs. FLA ($8,200): Tavares is my other Toronto entry. He's sort of been the opposite of Marner during the playoffs with seven points and 39 shots, and that latter stat could be something that earns him an important goal in Game 7.
Sam Bennett, FLA at TOR ($7,600): I have two Leafs and two Sams in the mix. Bennett has tallied six goals so far with a point in four of six games this series with multiple shots from each of his last three. Toronto has clamped down defensively during the playoffs, yet finished bottom-10 in shots allowed over the regular season.
Brad Marchand, FLA at TOR ($6,400): Marchand may have been a trade-deadline addition, but he's no stranger to big playoff matchups as he played in plenty of them with the Bruins. While he didn't get to play much for the Panthers before the postseason, he's gone on to notch 10 points.
Anton Lundell, FLA at TOR ($6,200): My roster is closed out with Marchand's center Lundell. He recorded 45 points this season and has produced some notable playoff performances with three multi-point efforts and five with at least three shots on net.
